Breville Dual Boiler - Not reaching 9 bars of pressure.

#1: Post by **iank** » February 12th, 2019, 11:01 pm

Hello everyone,

I've had my Dual Boulder for a little over 2 years now, and I'm actually not sure when this started happening, but I wanted to check in and see if this is an indicator of a problem. Lately I've noticed that I can't seem to get anything past 9 bars of pressure. It usually hovers around 8 but doesn't often go past 8.5. This is different from when I got the machine - it easily reached 9 or 10 bars depending on the grind.

I've obviously tried adding more grounds, using a finer grind, or tamping harder, however the machine will choke below the 9 bar point, usually around the 8.5 mark. This is all with the single wall 2 shot portafilter - I've never used any of the others.

I've been using the same variety of beans for the last few years. (I find something I like and stick to it!) Either Fratello Godfather, or the Deville house blend sold there (roasted by Rosso). These are locally roasted and very fresh beans.

My grinder is the breville smart grinder pro. I'm on my second one, so I'm not sure the grinder has anything to do with the pressure issue.

I tried using a blind basket and running a clean cycle, and the machine just barely touches the 9 bar line.

The machine was in a couple of times (the latest trip was quite recent) for a steam wand leak, and they fixed that but I've noticed the pressure thing is still happening. Maybe it's normal for the pressure to reduce with years of use?

Please let me know what you think! =) Thanks.

#2: Post by **sweaner** » February 13th, 2019, 12:50 am

What happens if you use a blind basket?

#3: Post by **Bret** » February 13th, 2019, 1:02 am

Since you already tried the silicone disk, have you also run it thru a few cleaning cycles with Cafiza tablets or similar? I'm not sure it would help here, but it probably couldn't hurt. When I do the cleaning cycle, I inspect the drip tray, rinse it and run it again until I have no "coffee gunk" showing in the drip tray. Usually takes 3 cycles or so, now that I water backflush each day. Maybe run the cycles until you see a clean drip tray, and watch the pressure for changes as you do...

Otherwise, it might be time to give Breville customer service a call.

#4: Post by **pcrussell50** » February 13th, 2019, 3:14 am

Get a blind basket and pull a water shot into it with the grate off of the drip tray. If any water vents to the drip tray before you cut off the pump, your solenoid is leaking. Remove, disassemble, and clean it. OR buy a new one and replace the old.

If no water makes it to the drip tray until you shut off the pump, your pump may be tired. It's an Ulka EP5. Get a new one off ebayzon or an espresso supply place. Pretty easy to replace.

Also rule out the OPV by pulling a water shot into a blind basket by setting it to a higher setting. If that works to raise your pressure, the opv may be tired. When the opv is bypassing there is a slight pulsing sound and you might be able to see ripples in the tank water as pulses arrive from the opv.

-Peter

February 13th, 2019, 9:51 am

sweaner wrote:What happens if you use a blind basket?

I've tried the blind basket with a cleaning cycle and it's a little under 9 bar.

February 13th, 2019, 9:54 am

pcrussell50 wrote:Get a blind basket and pull a water shot into it with the grate off of the drip tray. If any water vents to the drip tray before you cut off the pump, your solenoid is leaking. Remove, disassemble, and clean it. OR buy a new one and replace the old.

If no water makes it to the drip tray until you shut off the pump, your pump may be tired. It's an Ulka EP5. Get a new one off ebayzon or an espresso supply place. Pretty easy to replace.

Also rule out the OPV by pulling a water shot into a blind basket by setting it to a higher setting. If that works to raise your pressure, the opv may be tired. When the opv is bypassing there is a slight pulsing sound and you might be able to see ripples in the tank water as pulses arrive from the opv.

-Peter

I'll run these tests once I'm home from work. Thank you for the help!

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by a higher setting on the OPV check?

February 14th, 2019, 2:28 am

I tried the above, and there isn't any water coming into the drip tray until the pump is off (no more noise from the machine.) I did not see any ripples or change in the tank.

#8: Post by **mrjag** » February 14th, 2019, 1:19 pm

iank wrote:I'll run these tests once I'm home from work. Thank you for the help!

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by a higher setting on the OPV check?

This video should help out with talking you through the OPV adjustment. Start at 4:39. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcw8PzG_KsA

#9: Post by **BaristaBob** » February 14th, 2019, 2:39 pm

iank wrote:I tried the above, and there isn't any water coming into the drip tray until the pump is off (no more noise from the machine.) I did not see any ripples or change in the tank.

Ian,

You might want to try this backflush routine. Here is a video on it. I started doing this about a year ago and everything has remained rock steady since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TpSSSYpq1I

Hope that helps!

#10: Post by **DaveB** » February 14th, 2019, 2:48 pm

^^ I never bothered with the wiggling as shown in the video, nor did I ever remove the screen.

When I replaced the screen (after almost a year of heavy use) with the IMS Nano screen, the whole area was immaculate.